Category: Permaculture

  • Rain forecast

    Rain forecast, although you wouldn’t imagine it with that blue, blue sky. Harvesting the dried sunflower heads today for animal feed. I so love this multi headed variety.      

  • PDC August 2016 – Design Presentations

    Each PDC culminates with participants creating their own permaculture design. These photos are a glimpse at some presentations.   Investigate future course opportunities at Casalinho on our Courses page.    

  • PDC August 2016 – Morning Madness.

    Morning warm ups during our most recent Permaculture Design Course.                                                 You can search for forthcoming courses at Casalinho here.    

  • PDC August 2016 – RAM Pump workshop

    During our recent Permaculture Design Course, Jeroen took the participants through the theory and practice of RAM pumps. With a small stream at the bottom of our property, these are invaluable at Casalinho in lifting water to where we can use it.                     Join us for a more »

  • PDC August 2016 – Building a Raised Bed

    This practical session followed on from the swale building exercise I published yesterday. A contoured raised bed has been created on the downside of the berm, with the swale itself becoming the path above. For the short term this new bed has been planted up with annual veg, but these will be replaced with woody more »

  • PDC August 2016 – Building Swales.

    Learning to measure contours and build swales is a wonderfully interactive part of the PDC course. The swale being created here has wood in the berm to create a higher edge. The swale itself is a path, and we’ve built a raised bed on the downside. It’s been planted with annual veg in the short more »

  • PDC August 2016 – Making Hot Compost.

    PDC participants turning a hot compost pile. Put together at the beginning of the course, it’s nearly ready for use by the end. As we were lacking animal manure (so many projects, so little poo!), we’ve been using the pee from the compost toilet to add extra nitrogen. Check out this tutorial, put together by more »

  • PDC August 2016 – Natural Building Day

    Our Permaculture Design Course participants making adobe blocks and beginning a cob bench on the Natural Building day of the August PDC.

  • Hemlock Water Dropwort

    Hemlock water dropwort (Oenanthe crocata) is a plant toxic to both humans and livestock. It grows luxuriantly in the stream here, and anywhere wet. We need to clear it periodically otherwise it blocks the flow of water in winter. We use it as a mulch if we catch it before it’s seeded, or hot compost more »

  • Revista Ancestral

    If you read Portuguese (or even if you can just use translation software!!), take a look at this new project from our friends Filipa and Pedro. Editora Ancestral is a small Portuguese project with the mission of publishing both books and a quarterly magazine – Revista Ancestral – focused on the recovery of ancestral knowledge more »